Hot 100

For those of you who didn't know, Billboard is celebrating 50 years of the Billboard Hot 100. The Hot 100 chart measure popularity by tracking sales (physical and more recently digital) and plays (jukebox, and radio). Here is a summary of a few interesting chart figures:

Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs (Peak Position, Weeks at Peak, Year)

1. The Twist - Chubby Checker (#1, 3 weeks, 1960 & 1962)

2. Smooth - Santana feat. Rob Thomas (#1, 12 weeks, 1999)

3. Mack The Knife - Bobby Darin (#1, 9 weeks, 1959)

4. How Do I Live - LeAnn Rimes (#2, -, 1997)

5. Macarena - Los Del Rio (#1, 14 weeks, 1996)

6. Physical - Olivia Newton John (#1, 10 weeks, 1981)

7. You Light Up My Life - Debbie Boone (#1, 10 weeks, 1977)

8. Hey Jude - The Beatles (#1, 9 weeks, 1968)

9. We Belong Together - Mariah Carey (#1, 14 weeks, 2005)

10. Unbreak My Heart - Toni Braxton (#1, 11 weeks, 1996)

Don't know who Chubby Checker or Bobby Darin are, but it's interesting to note that You How Do I Live did not even hit #1. Still, it is a monster hit for LeAnn Rimes. The song must have a very long chart life to be in #5 all time top song!

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Hot 100 All Time Top Artist

1. The Beatles

2. Madonna

3. Elton John

4. Elvis Presley

5. Stevie Wonder

6. Mariah Carey

7. Janet Jackson

8. Michael Jackson

9. Whitney Houston

10. The Rolling Stones

I am guessing that this chart also measures the number of hit singles/songs put out by an artist, and not solely on sales and airplay figures. The only artistes still considered "active" in this list are Madonna and Mariah. And over the next few years, with more singles from them placed in the charts, we should see them moving up this list. Will Madonna have the chance to move to pole position? Or is Mariah catching up with her sooner than later?

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Most Weeks at No. 1: By Artist

1. Mariah Carey - 79 weeks

2. The Beatles - 59 weeks

3. Boyz II Men - 50 weeks

4. Usher - 43 weeks

5. Michael Jackson - 37 weeks

6. Elton John - 34 weeks

7. Janet Jackson -33 weeks

8. Beyonce - 32 weeks

9. Madonna - 32 weeks

10. Whitney Houston - 31 weeks

Without doubt, Mariah is the queen of spending the most number of weeks at #1, thanks to gigantic hits like One Sweet Day (16 weeks at #1) and We Belong Together (14 weeks at #1) The Beatles, at second place, is 20 weeks behind her! It is obviously impoosible for anyone to catch up with her.

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Most No. 1s: By Artist (All time)

1. The Beatles - 20

2. Mariah Carey - 18

3. Michael Jackson - 13

4. Madonna - 12

5. The Supremes - 12

This chart shows the artist who has placed the most No. 1s in the Hot 100 chart. Again, Mariah and Madonna are the only "active" ones in he Top 5, and they should be moving up this list. However, based on Madonna's song performance in the United States this decade, she will have trouble placing any more #1 in this chart. For example, despite topping the charts in 45 countries, Hung Up considered as the most successful single of all time worldwide, only manages to secure #7 in the Hot 100 chart.

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There are more chart information and list at Billboard. You also get to see music videos in Youtube of your favourite artistes and songs (including those from the past - saves you time from searching them!).

And it is hilarious to read the comments of fans for each list. As expected, there is always quarelling between Mariah fans and Madonna fans. Check it out!